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Ribbons at Vernal Fall

Most people consider the grand waterfalls of Yosemite to be at their powerful best in May and June, when runoff from the melting of many feet of snow in the High Sierra turns rivers into torrents. You can get a sense of this just from the name of Vernal Fall -- "vernal" means "related to spring".

But when the water level is low, the falls take on a more graceful beauty. Here, trickles of water coming over Vernal Fall blow and sway like ribbons in the wind.